INDIE-FOLK/BLUEGRASS-REVIVALISTS WATER TOWER BUCKET BOYS TURN BLUEGRASS UPSIDE DOWN WITH THEIR INDIE-FRIED TAKE ON ROOTS MUSIC ON WHERE THE CROW DON’T FLY; SET FOR NATIONAL RELEASE FEBRUARY 21, 2012
Portland, Oregon-based indie-folk/bluegrass-revivalists Water Tower Bucket Boys once again turn bluegrass upside down with their indie-fried version of roots music on the five-song collection, Where The Crow Don’t Fly (self-released), set for national release on February 21, 2012.
The band has already made a video for the album’s lead single and title track, “Meet Me Where The Crow Don’t Fly,” which can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkXrDnBmEN4
Comprised of Kenny Feinstein (guitar, mandolin, harmonica), Josh Rabie (fiddle, guitar, harmonica, Cajun accordion), Gordon Keepers (upright bass), and Cory Goldman (banjo, guitar), Water Tower Bucket Boys expand on 2011’s Sole Kitchen (produced by MxPx/Tumbledown’s Mike Herrera), adding vibraphone, organ, whirly tube, and more percussion; resulting in a sound that is as traditional as they’ve always been, but as shockingly refreshing as they’ve been, too.
The darker sound of the EP may cut a little deeper, but the three-part harmonies and danceable-party-vibe is not lost in translation, as the Water Tower Bucket Boys command your undivided attention. From the early morning rising of “Crow,” a blurry-eyed, traditional number that will haunt your inner being, to the get-up-and-go of “Walkin’ the Road,” and through the hook-laden, pop-friendly bluegrass of “Easy Way Out,” the Water Tower Bucket Boys cover all their bases. As a bonus, the five new originals come packaged with the distinctive cover art of Garrett Durant, who was also responsible for the art on the band’s latest full-length album, Sole Kitchen.
After five years on the road, four albums under their belt, and multiple international tours, the Water Tower Bucket Boys have been brewing up a storm in the folk music world. The boys have collaborated live with members of bands like Frank Turner, Kitty Daisy and Lewis, the Red Stick Ramblers, and the Foghorn Stringband; and shared the stage with acts like Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford and Sons, Wilco, Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three, and Woody Pines. They have toured extensively in both the USA and abroad, and performed live on the BBC, NPR, and RTE. Their all-original sound is infectious and has spread far and wide to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Getting their start busking on street corners playing traditional old time and bluegrass, they eventually honed their sound as a solid dance band playing square dances and bluegrass festivals up and down the West Coast.
However, the boys wanted to take the music further and thus, their new sound was born. Loosely based in the traditions of bluegrass, punk rock, blues, Cajun, folk, and country, their sonic creations transcend all musical boundaries. Their songs feature tight three-part harmonies and powerful instrumentals. This combined with the lightning energy of their stage performances has made them a favorite amongst music connoisseurs throughout the US and Europe alike.
Where The Crow Don’t Fly is a great representation of both their unique take on bluegrass and a look into their live shows; sweaty, energetic, yet melodic and grooving, Water Tower Bucket Boys deliver five tracks that will turn you into a fan.
“These hard-pickin’, tight-harmonisin’ youngsters have blazed out of the US on a mission to prove that old-time country is not only alive and well, it’s got something vital to tell the twenty-first century. The obvious comparison are fellow revivalists the Old Crow Medicine Show, with whom they share a knack for full-tilt playing, the ability to make their own material sound timeless and ancient songs sound thrillingly new.” – Morning Star
“They’ve adopted the intensity of rock and punk and channeled it into their songs and tunes…their far-ranging influences enable them to see the common ground between folk, rock, punk and even jazz, and they draw from this common ground to create their unique sound.” – No Depression
“From Portland, Oregon, some real old-time string band music done with a ton of youthful energy, much quick fingered pickin’ ‘n’ pluckin’ and, on the likes of Fromage and Bread, a neat modern twist.” – Q Magazine
“I don’t know whether all this can be properly pegged as punkgrass, but it’s potent proof that young urban musicians are helping keep bluegrass vital by filtering it through their own real lives and musical tastes.” – Songlines
“Portland, Oregon has few claims to bluegrass immortality but the Water Tower Bucket Boys don’t care. The young four-piece are on killer form on Sole Kitchen, a boisterous bolt through the Blue Ridge beyond. They invest things with an old-time spirit that’s both celebratory and faintly disturbing, and there’s punk and soul here, too, with singer Cory Goldman bringing depth to busted ballads like ‘Telegraph’.” – Uncut